Unusual Encounters
by Dear4Life
Summary: Misaki pursues someone who looks like BK-201, which leads her to ask Li to help with a case. Hei/Misaki.


Darker Than Black: Unusual Encounters

Disclaimer: I do not own the Darker than Black anime. All rights belong to Bones, Tensai Okamura, and Funimation.

--

Misaki dove into a rectangular pool inside her local gym to begin swimming laps. She loved coming here since it was never crowded and she could clear her mind of any cases. Her thoughts dwelled on the last encounter she had with Li at the clothing store. He looked like BK-201 from the backside. They had the same hairstyle and color, clothes, and are about the same height. Is it possible he could be BK-201?

She reached the other end of the pool, turned around, and pushed off the wall to swim back.

She was good at reading people and he didn't appear to be a Contractor. He had seemed upset when she mentioned Alice had betrayed her and the feeling she had gotten from him felt genuine. Not to mention his embarrassment when she had caught him holding a bra. It's not easy to fake reactions like that.

She spun around and kicked off the wall to swim in the other direction.

She still couldn't believe he was buying a bra and wondered why she had felt embarrassed when Kanami approached them. Kanami hasn't stopped teasing her about him and kept asking her how they met and when she plans to see him again. Misaki still couldn't believe she asked if he was going to wear the clothes.

Every time Misaki was around Li, her harsh ego and strict authority dissipated instantly. She didn't understand why she acted that way in front of him. Perhaps she did like Li. He is cute; especially his eyes and smile.

After a few more laps, Misaki exited the pool to head over to a lounge chair and table, grabbed a towel to dry off, and then snatched her glasses to place them on.

She grabbed her phone to check the time. A man walked by her with a white button up shirt, blue jeans, and short black hair.

"Li-kun?" Misaki questioned to herself, as her heart started pounding heavily against her chest. "Li-kun!" She called out to him, but he didn't respond. She hurried over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

The man turned around to reveal he wasn't Li.

"Ah, sorry, sir," began Misaki. "I thought you were someone else."

The man rudely ignored her and continued walking towards the men's changing room. Misaki cursed him in her head and turned around to head back over to her chair. An image of BK-201's backside standing at the shrine surfaced in her brain again.

"BK-201?" she questioned to herself concerning the man who looked like Li. _He must be him._ She thought to herself.

She picked up her cell phone and snuck into the men's changing room to see him standing next to the lockers. Misaki heard the door leading to the pool open, making her take cover in the shower's changing area, and quietly slid the curtain closed. She peaked through its seam to see a lifeguard approaching her suspect and started talking to each other. He was tall, with light brown hair, muscular build and a sharp face.

She couldn't believe she was doing this due to her accusation concerning the man's identity being BK-201. Misaki hoped no one saw her sneak in here. She pulled out her phone and went to take a picture of them.

Before she could snap a shot, the dividing curtain between the changing area and shower opened to reveal a man who had been showering.

"E—EH!" he gasped when he saw her.

Misaki quickly pressed her hand over the person's mouth to prevent him from screaming.

Not paying attention to the person, she turned her focus back on the two men trying to hear their conversation. They seemed to be very secretive as she tried to make out what they were saying, but all she could hear was, "Rooftop, Zero's seven o'clock," before the men departed each other.

_A meeting place? This could be my big break, _she thought._ Perhaps this man is BK-201_. She was about to follow them out of the changing area, when she remembered her situation.

Misaki breathed out a sigh of relief that they didn't hear the man scream out.

"I'm sorry," Misaki began as she turned around. "I'm a cop investigating…"

Misaki's eyes widened in shock, as she let go of the man's mouth, and his eyes fixated on her presence dumbfounded.

"L—Li-kun!" said Misaki.

Her face turned bright red, as did Li's. Misaki stared into his midnight blue eyes, and then found her eyes shifting downward to glance at his smooth collarbone, muscular chest, and his six-pack. Her eyes drifted slightly further and widened in shock as she noticed Li was completely nude.

"K—Kirihara-san?" questioned Li embarrassed.

He quickly went to grab a towel that was lying on a bench beside Misaki, as he lightly brushed his body up against her from the tight area, and caused Misaki's heart to pound faster from it. He whipped the towel around him and tied it on his side.

"I—I—I 'm… sorry, Li-kun," she said, as she glanced back up at him and quickly turned around.

She opened the shower curtain, exited the stall, and ran into her BK-201 suspect dressed in a lifeguard suit as he looked at her stupefied.

She embarrassedly smiled at him, exited the men's room, and dove into the pool to calm her thoughts.

_Damn he's hot! _she thought, as the image of Li wouldn't leave her mind.

She felt more embarrassed than when she caught him holding the bra. She couldn't believe how muscular his body was, especially with how much he ate.

Suddenly an image surfaced of her pushing Li into the shower pressing her lips against his, as her hands moved up and down his body to feel his smooth skin against hers again. She reminisced on the moment, not realizing that she was sinking to the bottom of the pool. She regained her senses while resurfacing to get a breath of air, and swam to the other end of the pool.

She couldn't believe she was having these thoughts. He was just a friend. She was, however, happy that Kanami wasn't here since she would make sure they'd become more than friends.

--

Hei couldn't help but smirk as he watched Misaki exit the stall. He put on his lifeguard suit and began to depart the men's changing room, but the other lifeguard stepped before him. Hei looked at him stunned, as the lifeguard had noticed the smile on his face, and gave him a dirty look.

"Your girlfriend?" he asked.

Hei blushed as he held his hand behind his head. He couldn't think of any other explanation of why she would be in here so he said, "Hai."

"You should find another place to do it. The boss won't be too happy if she finds out," he smirked and walked away.

Hei wondered why Misaki had been in the men's changing room, but he figured it had something to do with his targets. He cursed in his head for missing their meeting, and he hoped he could somehow get the information out of Misaki. He stepped into the pool area and headed over to his station, but stopped as he noticed Misaki exiting the pool to walk over to her lounge chair. He smiled and headed over to her.

"Kirihara-san," he said while he approached her, his cheeks still red from embarrassment.

She jumped a little and turned around to look at him. Her cheeks turned red as she stared into his midnight blue eyes.

"L—Li-kun," she stuttered.

"I think you dropped this," he said with a smile, as her eyes gazed upon his chest for a few seconds before glancing at his hand to see him holding her cell phone.

"A—ah thank you, Li-kun," she muttered, still blushing.

"You're welcome," he said.

Hei began to walk away.

"Ah…Li-kun," said Misaki.

Hei looked over his shoulders and gazed into her eyes.

"I'm truly sorry about that," she said, as she avoided looking into his eyes.

"We always seem to meet under unusual circumstances," smiled Hei sheepishly, although he preferred this meeting than her catching him holding a bra. "What were you doing in the men's changing room anyway?"

"Eh!" Misaki said, as her cheeks turned bright red. "Well… I—I was following a lead."

"A lead?"

Misaki looked across the pool.

"Um, Li-kun. Is there anything you can tell me about that lifeguard over there?" she asked while shrugging her head towards the lifeguard who had the same hairstyle as Hei.

Hei glanced over at him. He wasn't the one he was sent to spy on, but he could be the other man's contact. He looked back at her, and said, "No, I'm sorry, Kirihara-san. He just started working here yesterday. I haven't met him yet."

"Oh, really?"

"Hai. Why do you want to know?"

"I'm sorry, Li-kun, but it's nothing you need to concern yourself about."

"Do you want to ask him out or something?"

Misaki's cheeks turned even redder.

"Ah, n—no, no," she said while waving her hands. "He's the lead I was following."

"Really? Well maybe I can find out something for you. What do you need to know?"

"Um, that's all right, Li-kun. I already got information on him," she said, as she tilted her head downward.

A few seconds went by, as she appeared to be in deep thought, causing Li to tap her forehead.

"Oh, sorry, Kirihara-san. I didn't want you to get wrinkles. What were you thinking about?"

"Oh, nothing really. I need to meet a friend at Zero's at seven tonight, and I'm not sure where it's at."

"Zero's?"

"Hai, do you know the place?"

"Hai, it's a batting cage on the rooftop of the Aniplex building. I use to work there."

"Really. Thank you, Li-kun."

Hei smiled sheepishly as Misaki glanced at her phone. She held it up and snapped a shot of the lifeguard as Hei looked at her baffled. She then grabbed her other belongings and headed for the changing room.

Hei narrowed his eyes at her and mumbled, "No. The thanks is all mine, Officer Kirihara Misaki."

--

Misaki returned to headquarters. She sat at her desk, hooked up her phone to her computer, and downloaded the picture to it to check to see if he was in the system.

While the computer crosschecked the data her thoughts drifted back to Li's body; more specifically his huge package. She had been with guys before, but they had never made her feel the way she was feeling, and she couldn't get him out of her head as she drove through the city.

How could one man like him mess with her brain? Was he giving off some scent that was arousing her? She had to block him out of her mind so she could concentrate on her case, but how?"

"Chief!" Misaki could hear Saitou calling her. She looked over at him still a little spaced out. "Are you all right?"

"Ah, hai," replied Misaki. "Why do you ask?"

"I've tried to call you three times already. What were you thinking about?"

Misaki's cheeks turned red from her thoughts as she said, "Um, nothing. Just trying to put a case together."

Saitou looked at her computer screen to see the picture of the lifeguard. "W—who is he?" he asked with a hint of jealousy.

"Ah, um he has something to do with the case I'm working on."

"Is it related to the guy we arrested this morning?"

"I'm not sure."

"Oh, that reminds me. Captain Hourai wants to see you in his office."

"All right," replied Misaki, as she stood to head over to Hourai's office.

She stepped before it moments later and knocked on the door.

"Enter," said Hourai.

Misaki opened the door and entered his office while saying, "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Yes, Kirihara. It's about the man we arrested this morning. He was let go."

"He was let go? Why?"

"It's believed he has nothing to do with the Elixir."

"But he…?"

"You are also to drop the case."

"What? But, we are getting close. It might even lead us to BK-201."

"You are to drop the case, is that understood?"

"Hai."

"Good, you're dismissed."

Misaki exited his office while cursing under her breath at him. How could she drop the case? Especially since BK-201 was active in that area as well. This was too big to drop.

Misaki headed back to her desk, sat down at it, and worked on some paperwork. Her mind drifted back on Li again, as she remembered thinking he was BK-201 too.

Curiosity got the best of her and typed in Li Shengshun to see if there was anything on him. The computer pulled up an image of him with his name, and that he was Chinese. It also gave his age and his origin of birth. It was nothing that she didn't know already, except his age.

"Li-kun?" questioned Saitou. "Why did you bring up his file?"

"Eh, ah, no reason, really," babbled Misaki. "I just wanted to look up his address so I could check up on his immigration papers.

"But you already know where he lives, Chief."

Misaki smiled sheepishly at Saitou, but then turned her attention to her screen. The computer was done searching the database and had found nothing on the lifeguard from the pool.

"Have I finally found you, BK-201?" she muttered.

"What was that, Chief?" asked Saitou.

"Nothing, just thinking out loud."

Misaki looked at her clock and noticed the time.

"Crap!" she said to herself, as Saitou looked at her baffled. "I'll see you tomorrow, Saitou."

"See you tomorrow?" questioned Saitou. "But it's only six."

Misaki ignored him while grabbing her stuff and left.

--

Misaki entered the Aniplex building and walked through the small foyer that was crowded with employees leaving for the day or arriving for the night shift. She walked over to a nearby elevator. As she approached it, the doors opened to allow its occupants off. As the last one exited, she and a man entered. She hit the button for the roof to take up to Zero's.

"Twelfth floor, please," the man said to her.

Misaki hit his floor number as her nose twitched, which made her plug it noticing the man reeked of tobacco.

The elevator doors closed and it began to move upward. Suddenly, as they passed the tenth floor, the lights went out as the elevator came to a stop.

"Damn it," Misaki cursed. "Why of all times does the power go out now?"

She waited for the back-up generators to kick in, but as time ticked by nothing happened. Misaki then realized that BK-201 could be behind this. Was that lifeguard BK-201? She needed to get up to the roof to find out herself.

"Oh gosh!" screamed the tobacco-reeked man. "I don't want to die! Someone help!"

She glanced over at the man who was shaking and curled up in a corner in fear, as he mumbled to himself.

She walked over to the controls and hit the open button continuously, but nothing happened as the guy cried hysterically. She tried to pry the doors open, but they wouldn't budge.

"Anybody out there? We're stuck in here!" yelled Misaki.

A few minutes later the doors slowly budged open to reveal the elevator lay between floors. She noticed a figure above and looked up. Her eyes widened in shock.

--

A thin average height Japanese man, wearing a black suit with a red and white stripped tie, carried a briefcase in his right hand, as he entered onto the Aniplex rooftop. A thin Japanese man, wearing a dark brown suit with a blue and gold-stripped tie, sat on the railing looking over his shoulder out at the city. He turned his attention towards the average height man, stood from the railing, and greeted him in front of the empty batting cages.

"Do you have the item?" the red tie man asked.

"Yes I do. Do you have the money?" the blue tie man replied.

Before the red tie man could answer, their attention shifted to the door to the rooftop as a couple entered. They looked at the two men baffled as they stared at them sternly.

"The batting cages are closed," the red tie man said glaring at them. The couple quickly exited as the two men looked back at each other. "Yes." He held up the briefcase. "Show me the item."

The blue tie man reached into his pocket to pull out a small oval shaped bottle with a green fluid inside.

"I have no idea why people want this Elixir so bad, but I don't care as long as it makes me rich," said the blue tie man, as he began to hand the bottle over to the other man.

Suddenly a wire wrapped around the blue tie man's neck, as a volt of electricity was sent through him. He jolted and fell forward dead with the bottle still in his hand.

The other man looked on flabbergasted as he reached into his briefcase that didn't contain money, but a concealed gun, and pulled it out. However, before he could aim and fire it, a knife impaled him in the forehead. His eyes shifted upward as he fell backwards dead.

--

Hei walked over to the man who was holding the jar. He took it out of his hand, placed it in his pocket, and began to leave.

"Not so fast, Hei," said a voice behind him.

Hei turned around to see a man dressed in a white button up shirt and blue jeans that had a gun pressed up against Misaki's head. Hei recognized him as the other lifeguard that was on duty at the pool.

_Damn it_, Hei cursed in his head. _How did she get out of the elevator? This is going to cost me big time._

"Hand over that bottle, Hei, or I'll put a bullet in your girlfriend's head." Hei stood looking at the man baffled at how he knew him. "Don't look so surprised. I work for the Syndicate too. When I heard about the information on the Elixir, I just had to get it for myself. Imagine, it can grant any one wish you desire. Now, hand it over!" the man repeated as he pressed the gun harder into her head.

--

At least she knew now that that lifeguard was not BK-201, but Misaki couldn't believe this man would use her as a hostage. Didn't he know that Contractors only thought rationally, and that they didn't care about someone else's life over their job? Moreover, why did he call her his girlfriend?

Hei set the bottle down and backed away from it. Misaki looked on flabbergasted that a Contractor would do something so irrational; especially the Black Reaper.

The man walked over to the bottle still holding Misaki, picked it up, and set it in his coat pocket. He started stepping over to a ledge.

The man started laughing and said, "The rumors about you are true. I knew this woman would come in handy. Thanks for locking her in the elevator.

"I don't know why you would do such a thing, and I really don't care, as long as I have the Elixir. This woman is all yours." The man pushed Misaki over the railing, causing Misaki to scream out as he ran for the exit door.

Hei cursed at the man for his devious scheme to escape while hurrying over to the ledge with his heart pounding a thousand beats per second, as he feared he wasn't going to be able to save her. How could he have let this happen to her? She was supposed to stay in the elevator until his mission was done. He reached the ledge, pulled out his wire, and went to jump over the ledge, hoping he could grab her before she hit the ground

However, to his amazement, and relief, she was resting on a window-washing platform. Hei breathed out a sigh of relief, as he looked down at her while she looked up at him.

"Please, help me from here!" she yelled. "I promise not to pursue you if you do!"

Hei thought about helping her, but it's something the Black Reaper wouldn't do, and she should be smart enough to operate the platform herself.

He walked away, hoping to catch the man before he left the building, and having Misaki curse. Suddenly he heard something on the lift platform snap, which made her scream, and forced him to run back over to the ledge. One of the wires had snapped in which a portion of the platform flung downward and swung along the side of the building, as Misaki held tightly onto it.

No doubt that man set this up so that he could escape.

Misaki screamed out again as strings of the other wire began to snap one by one and drop the platform slightly. Hei hooked his wire to the railing, jumped over the ledge, and recoiled himself swiftly down to Misaki. The wire snapped to its remaining string, making Hei wonder if he would reach her in time.

It began to stretch with Misaki's eyes fixated on it, fearing she was about to die, and snapped while Hei reached out his hand to Misaki. She screamed as the platform and she began to drop like a ton of bricks. Hei flew off the building to dive after her, hoping to reach her before she came to a sudden stop. Seconds flew by like minutes as he slowly drew closer to her.

"I'm not going to make it," he said to himself.

Seconds later he reached her and wrapped his hand around her wrist. Just as he had a firm grip on her, his wire's coil fully unwound, and snapped to a stop to dislocate Hei's shoulder and have him scream out in pain.

Below them, pedestrians noticed something falling, causing them to scream and run off to avoid the platform as it slammed on top of a parked car. Its glass shattered onto the street and sidewalk, as the metal bent downwards and bulked outwards. The alarm was set off, wailing as though it was in pain.

His attention focused on Misaki as he pulled her up. Misaki wrapped her arms around his body and held onto him tightly.

She shifted her attention to the man who had saved her. The Black Reaper; the most wanted Contractor, had saved her. She couldn't believe she was holding onto him for dear life. He felt warm up against her shivering body. She could tell that he was muscular and he smelt wonderful. She wondered what he looked like behind the mask. Was he as gorgeous as his body felt? When they were safe, she wanted to reach up and rip off his mask to find out and kiss his lips passionately.

She shook her head from her thoughts. First Li and now BK-201. Why was she allowing her feelings to interfere with her work? Now was not the time to reminisce on how well he smelt.

They reached the top moments later.

"Are you all right?" he asked her.

"Yes, thank you," she replied, not believing she would say that to him or that he would care.

"Good. Get off me or I'll electrocute you." Misaki quickly released her hold on him and allowed him to walk off. "Don't follow me, or I'll personally kill you."

"Wait, Hei!" she yelled out.

Hei turned around to look at her.

"I can help you," she continued.

Hei's haunting mask looked at her in silence.

"You want the Elixir back, and I want the man who took it from you_._" _Because he just tried to kill me,_ she thought. "We should work together."

"I don't need your help," he said and started walking away from her.

"The Elixir that was taken from you isn't the real one."

Hei stopped and looked over his shoulder at her.

"How about another proposition?" she asked. "I know where the real one is. I'll exchange it for information."

"Not going to happen," he said, and leaped over the railing and out of site. Misaki went to go follow him, but lost site of him as she looked over the railing wondering how he did that.

--

Huang stood in the park smoking his cigarette as he looked at Hei furiously, who was sitting on the round bench surrounding a tree. Hei explained to him that the Elixir was taken.

"The Syndicate is aware of your problem," stated Huang. "Sometimes I wonder what goes on in that Contractor brain of yours."

"Ramen meals," teased Mao, sitting on top of the elephant slide.

"Shut up!" barked Huang at Mao, and then looked back at Hei. "Why did you save that cop instead of going after the Elixir?"

"Yin was following him," replied Hei.

"Bull shit!" Huang yelled, as he threw his cigarette at Hei. "Damn, why do you always cause so much trouble? The Syndicate was ready to execute your ass. You let a billion dollar item go for the sake of a cop." Huang paused as he reached into his pocket to pull out a box of cigarettes and took one out. "But the Syndicate is letting it go."

Hei and Mao looked at him confused as Huang lit the cigarette.

"The Syndicate found out that it's not the real one," Huang continued, as he let out a puff of smoke. "The only problem is that they have no clue where the real one is. They want you to keep your eyes open."

"No clue what so ever?" asked Mao.

"No."

Hei sighed and thought about Misaki's words.

"Is there something you're not telling me, Hei?" Huang questioned as he pointed his cigarette at him.

"No, I'll keep my eyes open," replied Hei.

"I'll have the Syndicate follow through with their plan and kill you if you're holding back information."

Huang stormed out of the park as Mao jumped off the slide and approached Hei.

"Officer Kirihara has it," said Yin.

Hei and Mao turned to Yin who was swinging on the swing.

"Yin," Mao said. "Is that true?"

"Hai."

"Where is she keeping it?" demanded Hei.

"Don't know."

"You don't know?" asked Hei upset.

"She confiscated it from a man. She put it in her pocket. But, I lost sight of where she placed it."

Hei didn't want to, but he was going to have to ask Misaki for help. He didn't want to believe her, but she had already been aware that the Elixir that was taken from him was not real, and Yin had said she had found it. He had no other choice.

Huang would've been furious if he told him that he was going to ask Misaki for help. He didn't want to either, but he never planned to hand it over to the Syndicate once he had it. It was the only chance he had to finding out where his sister is.

He didn't want to take the risk of being captured by her and thought maybe he could find out somehow as Li, but he couldn't think of a way to ask her. However, she wouldn't reveal the whereabouts of the item even to Li. She was careful at not mentioning anything to him about her work.

Maybe if he somehow got her to take him back to her place he could look around for it.

"Yin, where is she?"

"Her apartment."

--

Hei stood across the street from Misaki's apartment in a nearby alley dressed in his black attire. He noticed her balcony door was open, as if she were inviting him in. He began to wonder if this could be a trap.

"Yin," he said into a mike on his collar, "is there anyone else in the apartment with Kirihara?"

"No," she replied.

"How about any cops in the apartment building?"

"No, you're clear, Hei."

He still didn't like this. He reached inside his coat, pulled out his mask, and put it on. The area was clear of pedestrians to allow him to step out of the shadows. He pulled out his wire and threw it to latch onto her balcony and recoiled himself up. He landed on her balcony and walked through her door to be greeted by Misaki.

"I knew you'd come running back to me, Hei," she said smiling as she pointed her gun at him.

_So much for Yin saying it was clear_, he thought. _But then again, I only asked if she was alone._

"I want information about the Elixir," demanded Hei.

"It's not information," replied Misaki. "I actually have it in my possession."

"Where is it?" he yelled at her.

"I don't have it here. If you want the item, I'll be happy to meet you at a park and exchange it for information."

"That is not going to happen. Give it to me and I promise I won't kill you."

"Promise? From a Contractor? You should be able to trust me before I'll trust you."

"You have one minute to tell me or I'll kill you."

"Well that wouldn't be very rational. Especially since I could shoot you before you can electrocute me. I'm a really quick shot. Want to test my skills?"

Hei quickly grabbed one of his blades and threw it at Misaki as she fired her gun. The knife knocked the gun out of Misaki's hands, sending it flying across the room, as the bullet hit Hei and deflected off his coat. Misaki stared at him flabbergasted as he furiously began to approach her and grabbed her by the neck.

"Tell me where it is," his voice sounding angrier.

"I'm the only one who knows where it is," she said gasping for air. "If you kill me, you'll never find it. Even if you have a Doll."

Hei tightened his grip around her neck. His anger building up, but he began to think on her words and released his hold on her.

"All I want is information on the Syndicate you work for. Are they MI-6, Pandora, CIA?"

"Kirihara-san!" a male voice cried out on the other side of her door. "Are you all right in there? Kirihara-san!"

Hei's attention shifted to the door, and then back at Misaki.

"I'll have something for you," replied Hei moments later, "but on one condition. I don't want you or any cops around. Send someone who is not a cop and doesn't know about Contractors to Shinjuku Park. Don't worry, I'll find them. You can erase their memory or do whatever you want afterward. And I'll know if the person is a cop, so don't try anything funny."

"I can't put an innocent person's life in danger."

"I will not harm the person, I promise."

"There you go again with promises. I still can't do it."

"I guess we can't help each other then," said Hei, and then went to jump off the balcony.

"Kirihara-san!" the voice replied as he began banging on the door.

"Wait, Hei!"

Hei looked over his shoulder at her.

"You saved my life, so I'll trust you. I'll meet you at the park and hand it over to you there. However, I still cannot send an innocent person in alone. Not to mention they would get frightened by your mask and clothing. Allow me to be in the area. And I promise I will not arrest you. We are only interested in information on the Syndicate you work for."

"Just the person or no deal," he said and jumped off the balcony.

Misaki ran over to it to see him gone. She started pondering on whom she would get to meet him. She would have to explain the mask and black clothing so the person would not get scared.

"Kirihara-san," the voice yelled again as he continued to pound on the door, but Misaki ignored him.

She couldn't do that to someone. Why did Hei have to make such a crazy request? She started thinking of whom at her headquarters she could get to hand over the item. Saitou looked too much like a cop, even in casual clothes, and he's already met BK-201. Kouno's jacket screams out cop. Why was she thinking of them anyway? This was something she was doing against her Captain's orders. She couldn't ask help from work.

Suddenly her front door busted open.

"Kirihara-san! Are you all right?" her neighbor screamed while entering her apartment holding a bat in his hands. "I thought I heard gunfire?"

Misaki looked at her busted door and sighed. How was she going to explain this to her landlord?

"I'm sorry I didn't answer. I was on the toilet. It was just my television," she replied as her neighbor looked at her dumbfounded.

--

The next morning Hei exited his shower area wearing his blue jeans with drops of water rolling down his chest when he heard a knock at his door. He opened it to see Misaki standing outside.

"Kirihara-san? What brings you by?" he asked.

"I hope I didn't wake you. I came by to ask..." she paused, a slight blush across her face as she gazed upon his chest.

"Ask me what?" asked Hei.

Perhaps she developed feelings for him after their encounter in the shower yesterday, and came over to ask him out. Misaki didn't answer him at first as she continued to stare at him in a daze.

"Ah, a—are you available…" she mumbled. "I mean… May I come in, Li-kun?"

"Sure," he replied and gestured her in.

"Umm, something smells good."

"I made some breakfast earlier. It's still warm, would you care for any?"

"Ah, no. I already ate…"

As if on queue, her stomach growled.

"I made plenty," he smiled

He pulled out his table and gestured for her to sit. Misaki couldn't resist and kneeled next to the table. Hei grabbed his black tank top to put on. He then went over to his kitchenette, grabbed a bowl and chopsticks for her, and sat the food he had cooked earlier on the table.

"So what did you need?" Hei asked, as he sat on the other side of the table.

He took some of the fried rice he made, placed it in her bowl, and then poured some for himself.

"I ah… I don't know how to ask you?" Misaki said while she grabbed the chopsticks to scoop up some food and eat it.

"Just ask me," he smiled.

Misaki's eyes lit up, and she quickly went to take another bite.

"Ah, this is delicious, Li-kun," she said with her mouth full.

"A—arigatou."

"You know, you're always changing jobs. Have you ever thought about becoming a chef?"

"Ah, no."

"Well, you should. This is really good."

Misaki and Li continued to eat while talking about things that weren't related to her case. After Misaki finished her fourth bowl of rice, she looked up at Hei to see him downing his tenth bowl.

"Thank you, Li-kun. That was delicious," she said. Hei smiled at her. "You should allow me to repay the favor and take you out to eat somewhere."

Hei's eyes lit up. Did she really come here to ask him out? He liked Misaki a lot, but he couldn't start up a relationship with her. He also didn't want to break her heart and tell her no. Why was he worried about this? He's a Contractor; he shouldn't care.

"I would love to," he said without hesitation.

"Are you free tomorrow?" she asked, as Hei looked at her stunned.

"Is that why you came by? To ask me out?"

"Eh, no, no," she blushed. "I—I need your help with a case."

"My help?" Hei hit his head in his mind knowing where this was leading. _I should have known_.

"I need to trade something with an individual, and he won't do it unless the person isn't a cop."

"Eh?" he questioned baffled. "Don't cops usually go undercover for those kinds of things," he asked.

He couldn't believe Misaki was actually following his plan. He thought she would still get someone from her department to make the exchange. He wondered if she was acting on her own, but why did she have to choose him?

"Usually. But this man is well trained and will know if it is a cop. You're the only one I know that's not connected with the police."

_Yes I am,_ he thought, _just not the way you're thinking._

Hei's eyes shifted to his food to make it look like he was worried about the situation.

"He won't hurt you," she said, causing Hei to look back up at her. "You just need to hand him a jar."

"A jar?" he questioned. _Damn it, Hei, why did you have to come up with a stupid plan_? _How do you plan on meeting yourself_? "Sounds simple enough. When and where?"

Misaki gave him the time and location.

"Eh!" he questioned.

"What? What's wrong?"

"I'm going to miss my test," he lied, trying to use it as an excuse for him not to help her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Li-kun. I'll ask someone else. I don't want you to fail your class."

"Ah, that's alright," he replied instead, as he came up with an idea. He smiled and said, "I can get the professor to let me retake it. She's very understanding."

Misaki looked at him dumbfounded.

--

Later that day, Misaki drove over to Li's place, picked him up, and drove him over to the meeting place.

"Um, Li-kun," she spoke up.

"Hai."

"Uh, I forgot to tell you something very important."

Li looked over at her concerned.

"The man you are meeting is going to be dressed in Cosplay."

"Cosplay? As what? A power ranger?"

"Uh, he'll be wearing a white mask and black trench coat, so don't be scared when someone like him approaches you."

"A white mask and black trench coat? I'm in one of the University's anime clubs, and I'm not familiar with this anime."

Misaki laughed off his comment. She pulled into a parking space along the outside of the park.

"We're here." Misaki pulled out an earphone from her purse and handed it to Li. "Put that in your ear." Li did what was asked. "Can you hear me?"

"Hai."

"Good, I can hear you too." Misaki pulled out the jar and handed it to him. "Just stand anywhere in the park. He'll find you?"

"Hai… Eh, Kirihara-san. What is it that I'm supposed to be receiving?"

"Information. Don't hand that to him, unless he hands you an envelope, or says something to you, all right."

"Ah, Hai."

"Li-kun. Be careful."

Li departed the car.

--

Hei walked over to a spot under a Ginza tree. He pulled out the earphone Misaki had given him, and cuffed it in his hand. He took out another one from his pocket and put it in his other ear.

"Yin, is the area clear?" he asked.

"_Hai."_

"Where's Officer Kirihara?"

"_In her car."_

"Can she see me?"

"_Wait. She got out of the car." _Yin paused and then moments later said, _"Yes, she's behind a tree."_

"All right! You know what to do, right?"

"_Hai."_

Hei placed the other earpiece back in his ear.

"_Li-kun? Can you hear me?"_

Hei jumped from her loud voice while placing his hand over his ear.

"Ah, hai," he replied. "I think we just lost a brief connection."

"_Thank god!"_ she said. _"Are you all right, it looked like you were trying to talk to me? If you're scared, I can call it off."_

"No, I'm fine. Just got a little concerned when we lost connection. Any sign of him yet?"

"No. I'll let you know."

--

Misaki continued to watch Li behind a tree while waiting for BK-201 to show up. She wondered if he would show up knowing that she was inside the park.

"Excuse me, miss," said a sweet young female voice behind her. Misaki turned around to see a young girl dressed in a blue summer dress with silver hair pulled in a ponytail, and holding a box of candies. "Would you like to buy some candy?"

Misaki couldn't resist the young girl and reached inside her purse. "How much?" she asked.

"Five hundred Yen."

Misaki pulled some money out of her pocket and handed it to the young girl. The young girl handed over her candy.

"Thank you," she replied, and turned around to leave.

Misaki shifted her attention back to Li but noticed he was missing.

"_Do you have the elixir?"_ a dark voice said in Misaki's earpiece, which sounded like BK-201.

Misaki's heart skipped a beat knowing that Li was facing BK-201 without her to protect him. She cursed at herself for getting Li involved and hoped BK-201 would keep his promise that he wouldn't hurt him. How could she let herself get distracted by a young girl? She began running around the park, frantically searching for them.

"_Ah, hai,"_ replied a scared Li.

"_Hand it over,"_ BK-201 demanded.

"_A—ah… Kirihara-san said I shouldn't hand it over without you giving me some information," _said Li, his voice showing fear.

There was a moment of silence

"_I know you're listening, Officer Kirihara,_" said BK-201 surprising Misaki. _"A promise is a promise. I will tell you what I know about them. I do not work for MI-6, the CIA, or Pandora. I can't give you what you're looking for, because I just follow orders. But I can tell you this. They are all around you. They may be a close friend or even someone working in your department."_

Misaki winced at his comment as she continued to run around the park looking for Li.

"_Now hand over the elixir, kid."_

It was as she figured. BK-201 probably received his orders from a third party. He was nothing but a working Contractor. However, if she could've at least found out who his contact was, she could learn more. Damn him. Now she knew why he wanted to meet like this. She felt she hadn't learned anything from him. Not to mention, she lost her chance at capturing him. Maybe she should have involved her colleagues

Seconds later she saw Li standing by a ginza tree. She ran up to him looking concerned for his safety.

"Li-kun, are you alright?" she asked.

"Hai. Was that the information you were looking for?"

"No."

"I thought it didn't sound right. I wasn't going to give it to him, but he scared me. I'm sorry Kirihara-san."

"It's alright, Li-kun. I should've known better than to trust him," she said and then grinned.

Li looked at her dumbfounded. "Are you alright, Kirihara-san?"

"Hai, I'm fine. Let's get you home."

Misaki and Li began to leave the park.

"You think you're very clever," said a voice behind Li.

Misaki turned around to see the lifeguard who had thrown her over a ledge standing before her and Li. Misaki knew she was taking her chances with BK-201, but she had never known him to harm innocent lives. The man standing before her was worse than a Contractor was; he was a human who enjoyed taking lives. She began to worry he might kill Li.

"I don't know what you mean by that," replied Misaki.

"The Elixir," he replied. "And I wasn't talking to you." He looked towards Li.

Misaki looked over at Li, who look confused; however, she could slightly see a hint of anger hiding behind his eyes.

"I'll take what you have in your pocket," the man demanded.

Misaki looked over at Li confused, "What?"

"That was a brilliant stage performance, but you're not fooling anyone. Now hand it over."

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Li.

The man highlighted in blue and his eyes turned red as he raised his right hand to point it at Misaki.

"You're a Contractor?" said Misaki.

"I'm not the only Contractor here, am I, Hei?"

"What?" questioned Misaki as she looked around for BK-201.

She looked back at the Contractor to see him staring at Li. She glanced over at Li to see him glaring angrily at the Contractor.

"Oh my God…Y—You're… It couldn't be," she said wide-eyed. "That really was you at the shrine!"

Suddenly Misaki could feel her body quickly being pulled over to the Contractor. He grabbed her and wrapped his arm around her neck.

_Telekinesis! _She thought.

"Now, doesn't this feel like déjà vu?" he said while taking a gun out and aiming it at Misaki's head. "Toss it here, Hei. Or your girlfriend dies for real."

Misaki looked toward Li heart-stricken. She couldn't believe it. She was right about spotting BK-201 at the clothing store. How could she have let her feelings for Li cloud her judgment?

Suddenly the image of Li standing naked in the shower entered her brain again, but this time he was wearing a white mask with a purple lightning bolt. She visualized herself ripping the mask off, pushing him into the shower up against the wall, and vigorously kissing him while running her hands along his body.

She pushed the thought to the back of her mind and tried to focus on her current situation. At least her sexual thoughts from earlier were for the same person. Nevertheless, how was that possible since the two couldn't be more different? Li was like the midnight blue sky, calm and peaceful; where Hei was like a thunderstorm, dangerous and terrifying.

Hei pulled out the small jar from his pocket to have Misaki look on flabbergasted. Hei tossed it to the Contractor who released his hold on Misaki, grabbed it, and disappeared.

Hei looked on shocked, as did Misaki.

"Yin, where did he go?" asked Hei to no one in particular. Seconds went by, as he seemed to be waiting for an answer. "Damn it!!" he yelled as he slammed his fist into a nearby tree.

Misaki walked over to him. She wanted to pull out her handcuffs and slap them on his wrist, but she couldn't find it in her heart to do it. Not to her Li-kun.

_Damn it, Misaki, _she thought._ There you go again allowing your emotions to cloud your judgment._ _He's the Contractor you have been chasing. You have to bring him in._

_Now's not the time to think about that anyway_.

"He'll be back, soon," she said to Hei.

Hei looked at her flabbergasted.

"That was a fake," she said.

"What?" Hei looked at her angrily. "A fake? You handed me a fake?"

"Hai," she smirked, as Hei's anger rose even more. "You're not the only one who can deceive someone."

Hei grabbed her by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. "Where's the real one?"

Miskai shook her head.

"Where is it?" he demanded again.

"Let go of me!" she yelled, as she struggled from his tight grip.

"I need it."

Misaki stopped squirming and looked at him puzzled, and said, "You need it? You do not intend to hand it over to your organization. You're planning to use it yourself. Why?"

"It will help me find my sister."

"Your sister?" Misaki questioned.

Why would he want to find his sister? He's a Contractor who shouldn't have any emotional ties. However, there is something different about him. He is totally upset over losing the Elixir, and he had saved her life twice by handing over it. It's not something Contractors would do. However, he did it all for his sister.

"Misaki, please, tell me where it is," he pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Li. I don't know where the real one is."

"Damn it!" he yelled again as he released her.

"What happened to your sister?"

Hei looked down toward the ground somberly, and said, "I don't know."

Misaki smiled as she watched Li. How could she arrest him? Even though she knew now he was the Black Reaper, she was happy to see one of many expressions that made her fond of him. He had given the same expression when she had mentioned Alice had betrayed her in the bathroom stall. It made her wonder who had betrayed him.

Seconds later Hei was hit by something hard that sent him flying a few feet before he slammed into a tree, knocking the breath out of him.

"Li-kun!" cried out Misaki.

Before he could get his bearings, he was socked with a left across the face, followed by a right, and then in the stomach. Li cried out and hunched over from the pain.

Misaki pulled out her gun from her purse and aimed it around Li looking for whom, or whatever was attacking him, but she couldn't see anyone.

"Did you think I wouldn't notice?" said a loud and angry voice. Misaki recognized it as the lifeguard Contractor. "Where's the real one she gave you?"

Misaki and Li looked around, but didn't see him. Li was suddenly hit with another right, a left, and then a third punch to his stomach again.

"I drank it already," laughed Li in pain. Misaki knew he was only trying to get the Contractor's attention on him so that he wouldn't attack her.

"So this is the Great Black Reaper I've always heard so much about," laughed the voice. "You're not even a match for my speed."

"Your power is sonic speed?" Misaki stated. "Not telekinesis?"

"Exactly," said the voice laughing still. "Since I move so quickly I make all of my preys think that. And there's no way the Great Black Reaper can electrocute me, if he can't catch me."

Misaki looked over at Li who seemed to have a hard time trying to figure out where the man was. The Contractor attacked him again, but Li managed to give him a slight shock, which startled him, as he appeared before Li.

"That wasn't very nice," he said looking at Li angrily. "Try that again, and I'll go after your girlfriend again."

Li's anger ignited in him, as he reached under his jacket to pull out one of his blades. He began to swing it while sending electricity through it at Speedy Gonzales, but the Contractor disappeared before Li could hit him.

"Oh, so you want to play with blades now. No problem, I don't mind playing before I kill you."

Li quickly jolted to his right, as a cut appeared on his left arm, and then he hopped left with a cut forming on his right arm.

She started to fear the Contractor was too fast for him and that he would kill Li. She wished there was something she could do, but she couldn't spot where he was.

Li was then hit directly in the left shoulder with the blade. Despite the pain, he was able to send electricity through the blade, causing the Contractor to jump back from the shock and leave the blade in Li's shoulder.

He sinisterly glared at Li and said, "I'll be taking my blade back, and then you can say goodbye to your girlfriend."

Misaki aimed her gun at him as he disappeared again. A few seconds went by without him attacking. Misaki heard him laughing in different directions throughout the trees. She pointed her gun around hoping to get a drop on him before he continued attacking Li.

The Contractor's laugh grew louder and before she knew it, he was standing in front of Li holding onto his blade with Li holding his wrist. The man looked at him shocked as Li smiled devilishly at him.

"You shouldn't have concerned yourself about your blade," said Li, and then sent a shock of electricity through his body. The man shook vigorously and fell backwards dead. Overhead, a star fell.

Li's body collapsed against the tree from fatigue, as Misaki ran up to him, and said, "You're hurt?"

"They're just scratches," he replied in pain.

"Just scratches? You have a knife sticking out of your shoulder."

She checked on his wounds, noticing the left side was deep and streaming blood. She reached into her purse to pull out bandages, as Li looked at her baffled for having them in her purse.

"Take off your shirt," she said.

Li smirked at her while he unbuttoned his shirt. He tried to act cool about it, but cringed from the pain as he removed it.

She wrapped up his left arm and then his right arm.

"I didn't know you still cared," he said.

"W—well… I—I don't. I just don't need you dying of blood loss before you tell me about the Syndicate you work for."

Li smiled and said, "Is that the real reason?"

Misaki looked up at him stunned. A little annoyed by his comment, she grabbed the knife sticking in his shoulder and yanked it out.

"OOOWWW!!" Li cried out in agony.

"We can let you off easy if you tell us everything you know about them," she continued, as she started bandaging up his shoulder.

"What I told you earlier was the truth, Misaki," said Li cringing from the pain.

"Then who is your contact? Tell us where you meet him so we can follow him."

"I'm sorry, Misaki, but I can't tell you."

Misaki winced at his statement. Was he really a Contractor? What does he have to gain by keeping the information to himself?

"Then I have no other choice but to arrest you," she said while she finished wrapping up his shoulder. "And don't try to run away from me. I know who you are now, and where you live. And if you try to send someone to erase my memory, I'll shoot them first."

"You're right," Li replied, as he held out his hands for Misaki. Misaki looked at him dumbfounded. She couldn't believe he wasn't resisting her, making her think he had some plan up his sleeve, but where could he go since his identity had been blown. She grabbed her cuffs and she was about to place it on his wrist, but hesitated as she thought he might electrocute her.

No, that wasn't the reason. She didn't have the heart to place the cuffs on him. Sure he is BK-201, the Black Reaper, the most dangerous Contractor, but he was her Li-kun. The guy who had made her laugh, sweated up a storm while holding a bra, saved her at Alice's party and from falling to her death.

She shook her head from her thoughts. She was a Police Officer, and it was her duty to put away criminals. Li was no exception and she shouldn't let her emotions play into the mix, even if she thought he was the sweetest man in the world.

She looked up to see him smiling at her like he always did as Li.

_Damn him, why does he have to make that face now? _she thought, as she stared into his blue eyes.

She couldn't help think at how they reminded her of the old midnight blue sky that had been lit up by the moon and stars, which ached her heart and made her feel she was betraying it.

"I can't do this," she said. "Li, please just tell me who you work for. You're a Contractor, do the rational thing. There's nothing to gain by you holding back any information."

"I can't do that," he replied, still holding up his hands. "They'll kill me."

"But how would they know?"

"They're all over, Misaki. Even though I didn't tell anyone about this meeting, they're probably watching. So arrest me if you are going to, or I'm going home to eat."

Misaki smirked at his comment as she remembered his huge appetite, making it even harder for her to place the cuffs on him. She then began to wonder how someone who ate as much as he did could have a body like his. Maybe all that running around he did was the reason why. She figured either his stomach growling or his appetite was his price.

Suddenly she found herself placing the cuffs around his wrists while her mind pictured her cuffing Li to her bed.

"You're coming home with me," she said.

Li looked at her dumbfounded. Misaki's eyes widened from realizing what she had blurted out.

"I—I mean, I'm taking you to the station," she corrected, while trying to hold her blush.

"I would love to go," said Li softly, as Misaki looked up into his blue eyes, "to your place."

Misaki looked at him baffled, as Li lifted up his cuffed hands to place them around Misaki's neck, and drew her into him to press his lips against hers. Misaki's eyes widened from shock. She tried to push him away from her, believing he was playing some game on her, but she found herself giving into the kiss as if she was a flower being nourished by the rain. She has always wanted to kiss him since she helped him buy clothes, and the urge only grew when she saw him in his birthday suit. However, she never dreamed he shared the same feelings.

Li slowly tore his lips away from her.

"Wh—what was that for?" she asked, trying to hold back the urge to kiss him again. "Is that your price?"

"No. I thought I wouldn't get another chan…"

Before he could finish, Misaki pulled him in for another kiss.

"Damn… I… can't… do it," she said in-between kisses. "I'm… going… to lose… my job… for this."

"I won't… let that… happen."

Misaki didn't think anything of his words as they continued to kiss. Suddenly she felt a volt of electricity run through her body. She looked up into Li's eyes, which showed distress, as if it hurt him to do it to her.

"I'm sorry, Misaki," she heard him say before she passed out.

--

Hei cradled Misaki to pick her up in his arms and laid her down on a bench. He fished through her pockets, finding the keys to the cuffs, and unlocked them.

He looked back down at her.

"If anything, I hope that you will remember our kiss," he said smiling and then kissed her on the lips again. "And please forgive me for what I'm about to do, but I need you to stay put for awhile."

--

"Chief! Chief!" Misaki could hear Saitou's voice calling for her.

She opened her eyes to see she was lying on a park bench. She looked at Saitou puzzled.

"Saitou, what are you… what am I…?" she looked down to see her clothes were covered in blood. Her eyes widened, as she checked to see where she was wounded.

"Relax, Chief," said Saitou. "It's not your blood."

"Not mine?"

"You don't remember, Chief?"

Misaki looked around to see other officers and ambulances gathered around.

"We got a report that BK-201 and SG-312 were active in this area," began Saitou. "When we got here, we found you lying on this park bench, and SG-312 tied up to that tree." Saitou pointed to a tree. "We thought the blood was yours at first, but you're not wounded. Then we thought it might be SG-312's, but he appears to have been electrocuted by BK-201."

"Wait a minute!" babbled Misaki, wondering what was going on. Saitou looked at her baffled, as he wanted to know what had happened too, and figured she could fill in the blanks. "If I'm not wounded and SG-312 is not, then this blood is BK-201's. Get someone to take a swab sample and run a systems check for a possible match."

"Already done, Chief," he said.

"Good."

"How did his blood get all over you, Chief?"

"I don't know?" replied Misaki. "The last thing I remember is someone calling me here to make an exchange for the Elixir."

"Exchange? You did that without backup. The Captain's not going to be happy."

Misaki looked on wide-eyed, as she couldn't believe she let that slip out.

"There was no time," she lied.

"Well, Chief, I guess the person you were meeting turned out to be SG-312."

"It must be," said Misaki. "It appears someone had used M.E. on me. I must have found out something important. Call the lab; I want to see if there is a way to reverse it."

"Hai."

"Also, if BK-201 was wounded, there could be a blood trail leading back to a hideout. Search the area."

"Right away. Oh, Chief, here are your handcuffs," said Saitou as he pulled them out from his suit and handed them to her.

Misaki looked at him baffled, and said, "How did you get them?"

"Um, you were handcuffed to the bench when we found you. We figured BK-201 must have done that to prevent you from interfering or chasing him."

"I WAS WHAT!!"

--

The next day, Misaki sat at her desk trying to remember what had happened last night, but nothing popped up. To her dissatisfaction, Ootsuka had informed her that there were no matches in the computer system on BK-201's blood. In addition, there wasn't any blood trails left behind to track him.

They had found blood by the tree that SG-312 was tied to and the bench where she laid, but there wasn't any other evidence to go by. She was surprised that the fake Elixir was in SG-312's position instead of in BK-201's grasp. What was even more surprising is that the bandages she kept in her purse were gone, which made her think that BK-201 had scrounged through her belongings after he had knocked her out.

She couldn't believe he had his bloodstained hands on her stuff. It made her wish Kanami would call her to go shopping so she could buy a new purse.

--

Hei sat at his lifeguard post wearing a red swimsuit and a tight white t-shirt to hide his wound. He wondered why the Syndicate still wanted him to scope out the area. He hadn't found the real Elixir, and he was beginning to think that it didn't exist. He tried to tell Huang that Misaki had visited the gym often, and that it wasn't a good idea to stake out the place.

Huang had angrily replied with, "Just shut the hell up and do what you're told to do!"

Hei had noticed that since he had worked here last the place became crowded with lots of females. Most of them stood or sat in chairs, not even entering the pool, and merely stared at him. Even though he, as Hei, loved all the attention, he was supposed to keep a low profile while posing as Li, but how could he if he worked at a place like this. He hoped the Syndicate would pull him off this job soon.

"Li," said a female lifeguard who came to relieve him from his post. She was wearing a red one-piece suit with her black hair pulled into a ponytail. "Time to swap."

Hei stepped down from his post and began to walk toward the men's room as the females who where watching him stood and followed.

"Li-kun!" a female voice yelled out, as Hei recognized it. He turned around to see Misaki.

"Kirihara-san," he replied. She hurried over to him. Unfortunately, she walked a little too fast and slipped on the tile floor falling forward.

Hei hurried over to her and caught her in his arms, their faces inches apart as they stared into each other's eyes. Hei wanted to close the gap between them and kiss her again. He could feel Misaki wanting to do the same, but he reminded himself not to allow a relationship to develop between them.

"Ah, you shouldn't be running, miss," he said softly to her, still holding her in his arms and wanting to kiss her. "It's very dangerous."

"EHH!!" Hei heard all the females who were watching him scream out. He looked over at them to notice they had pretended to faint. The other two lifeguards went to check on them, but when they came over the women stood and glared angrily at Misaki.

"Li Shengshun!" a female voice yelled out. "I don't pay you to fraternize with the ladies. Do that on your own time."

Hei embarrassedly let go of Misaki as he turned around to see his boss approaching. "Ah…y— yes, ma'am."

"If you didn't attract so many new customers, I would have fired you. And, I heard about your so-called love session in the shower from an ex-employee. If I catch you, you're out of here."

Misaki and Hei's cheeks both turned as red as a rose while the other females stood dumbfounded with jealousy.

"Now get back to work."

"But I'm on…"

"I said get back to work!" she finished and went back into her office.

"Ah, hai!"

"I'm sorry, Li-kun," said Misaki.

"It's all right," Hei smiled. "Just be more careful next time."

"Thank you for catching me."

"You're welcome."

"Did I hear you're going on break?" she asked.

"Ah, I was going to get something to eat," he said, as his stomach let out a loud growl.

Misaki chuckled, and said, "Really? I know this great restaurant a few blocks down. How about you let me pay you back for that meal?"

"Eh," question Hei, as he thought that that part of Misaki's memory should have been erased.

"What, don't tell me you forgot that you treated me to breakfast the other day?"

"Ah… no. I remember." Hei smiled off his concern and said, "I would love to."

--

Misaki took Hei through a park with many Ginza trees that sat between the restaurant and pool. They walked next to each other not muttering a sound.

"Li-kun," began Misaki. "You probably think it was weird for me to show up at your doorstep the other day."

"Eh, not really."

"I didn't know how to ask you."

"Ask me what?" said Hei, as he wondered why the M.E. hadn't worked. _She probably asked you to lunch to arrest you._ He thought. _But, she couldn't arrest you earlier, why would now be any different?_

Suddenly, to Hei's guess, Misaki pretended to trip on a tree stump, making Hei once more grab and cradle her in his arms. His heart pounded rapidly as he looked down at her to see her smiling, as she looked into his midnight blue eyes.

"If you were avail…a…" she started to say, but slowly closed the gap between them and pressed her soft lips up against his.

Hei's eyes widened in shock but gave into it, as he felt all his troubles disappear. He didn't care about finding his sister or wondering if Misaki remembered anything from yesterday. It was only the two of them sharing an unbelievable moment.

Minutes later he slowly tore his lips from her, and said, "What was that for?"

"I thought I might not get another chance," she replied. Hei stared at her baffled, wondering if she did remember their kiss, and if she remembered about him.

Misaki took in his expression, and said, "I—I 'm sorry, Li. I wanted to ask you yesterday, but I… I don't know what came over me." She pulled away from him and started to run out of the park.

As he watched her, he wondered if he should let her go. What exactly did the Syndicate place in her memory? Even if she did remember, he knew now that she wouldn't turn him in. However, he couldn't be with her since he knew she could lose her job, or the people he worked for would erase her.

His heart stopped as he watched her leaving and remembered the feel of her lips against his.

"What are you doing, Brother!" a voice in his head screamed out. "Go after her!"

Hei was startled by the voice, but averted his attention to Misaki who had disappeared around a corner. A feeling of emptiness enveloped his soul. He couldn't let her go and hurried over to her, grabbed her by the wrist, spun her around, and pulled her in for another kiss. He would worry about the consequences later. He only cared about how his heart felt at the moment.

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A/N:

Yeah!! Well I'm always writing about them forgetting about kissing. I thought I'd give them one they could remember. I wrote this story before season 2 aired, just got around to finishing it. Hope you enjoyed and please let me know of any spelling errors.

Thank you very much for reading. :)

Hei/Misaki forever!!

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Japanese words:

Hai – Yes

Arigatou – thank you


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